Coronavirus

A 71-year-old Baker County woman who died on Wednesday, April 14 at a Boise hospital is the 14th county resident to die after testing positive for COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported. Read more

Baker County’s COVID-19 surge continued on Tuesday, April 13 with 14 new cases, the highest one-day total since late December, and the third-most in any day during the pandemic. Read more

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has fixed an error in its system for reporting county-level COVID-19 vaccination numbers, and the correction had a big effect on Baker County, whose inflated numbers prompted the agency to look at the situation in late March. Read more

A 75-year-old Baker City man who died on April 3 is the 13th county resident to die after testing positive for COVID-19, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported Friday, April 9.The man, who had underlying medical conditions, tested positive on March 24. He died at his home, according to the OHA. Read more

A recent change to Oregon’s COVID-19 risk level system should allow Baker County to remain at the lowest level, with the least severe restrictions, through most of April even though the county’s case rate has nearly tripled in the past two weeks. Read more

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) estimates that its website had recently exaggerated by about 50% the number of Baker County residents who have been partially or fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read more

Chelsea Hurliman is eager for Baker High School students to return to a four-day week and remain in their classrooms all day except when they are called away for extracurricular activities. Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has hampered all sorts of events, but American Red Cross blood drives in Baker City aren’t among them. Read more

About 450 Baker County residents had their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Friday during the Baker County Health Department’s third major clinic at Baker High School. Read more

Baker County’s rate of new COVID-19 cases has risen over the past week or so to the highest level in more than two months. Read more

The air inside the Baker County Library District’s main branch in Baker City has never been cleaner, Ed Adamson says, his pride palpable even though most of the particles that are no longer wafting about were never visible to the naked eye. Read more

Baker County is doing well, compared with Oregon’s 35 other counties, in vaccinating its residents against COVID-19. Read more

Baker School District students in Grades 7-12 will be returning to classes four days a week beginning April 12 if all goes as planned in the next few weeks. Read more

The Baker City Council on Tuesday evening, March 23 will consider approving a resolution declaring an “economic, mental health and criminal activity crisis” resulting from Oregon COVID-19 mandates that the resolution deems “arbitrary, ineffective, and draconian.” Read more

Baker County will receive $3.13 million, and Baker City $2 million, from the federal COVID-19 aid bill that President Joe Biden signed last week. Read more

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported today that an 81-year-old man in Baker County died on March 11, three days after testing positive for COVID-19. Read more

Baker County had the biggest day of its COVID-19 vaccination effort on Friday, March 12. Read more

Nick Cripe found himself with some extra time between jobs as a firefighter and paramedic. Read more

Another Baker County residents has died after testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the county's death toll during the pandemic to 11. Read more

Baker County’s COVID-19 risk level rises by one, from lowest to moderate, on Friday, March 12, but the effects on restaurants and bars, and other businesses and activities, are relatively minor. Read more

Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, Baker County will move from the lowest of Oregon's four risk levels to the second-lowest starting Friday, March 12. Read more

Kathy Taylor is supposed to be exhausted right now. Read more

Fifteen cases of COVID-19 have been reported at Settler’s Park memory care community in Baker City. Read more

Becky and Bruce Litke were excited at the prospect that a brief pinprick will lead to them seeing their grandchildren and great-grandchildren again. Read more

The Baker High School volleyball team has a lot to get used to during a season first postponed, and now shortened, by the pandemic. Read more

Terry McQuisten will welcome moviegoers back to the Eltrym Theater on March 5 — the 13th anniversary of when she and her husband, Dan, purchased the business. Read more

Under the glow of the stadium lights, the Baker Bulldog football players are doing something they haven’t done in well over a year. Read more

After a five-week decline in COVID-19 cases that dropped Baker County into the state’s lowest risk level starting Feb. 12, the case rate is rising again. Read more

Baker County should stay in the lowest risk category under the state’s COVID-19 guidelines through at least the second week of March, County Commissioner Mark Bennett said on Saturday, Feb. 20. Read more

A modest rise in Baker County’s rate of COVID-19 cases this week has pushed the county close to moving up one level on the state’s risk level starting Feb. 26. Read more

Baker County is on pace to remain in the lowest risk category for COVID-19 spread, with the least-stringent restrictions on businesses and activities, into the second week of March. Read more

Lori Brock figures she’s given about 125 COVID-19 vaccinations, but the arm she’s preparing to pierce is like no other. Read more

Despite snow showers and temperatures hovering around 20 degrees, 300 Baker County residents, most of them age 80 or older, received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine Friday morning, Feb. 12 at Baker High School. Read more

Liz White’s restaurant was better positioned than some to endure COVID-19 restrictions, but she’s still excited that those limits will ease in Baker County starting on Friday, Feb. 12. Read more

The COVID-19 outbreak at Powder River Correctional Facility in Baker City has slowed considerably over the past two weeks, and an official at the minimum-security prison said she’s pleased with the trend. Read more

Theresa Ball hated to type the words announcing that her Baker City business, Chill’z frozen yogurt, would no longer be serving sweet treats. Read more

Two Baker Middle School students and one teacher have been quarantined this week after one of the students tested positive for COVID-19. Read more

Baker County dropped from the extreme-risk level under the state’s COVID-19 guidelines to high risk on Friday, Feb. 5, Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett said. Read more

Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett and other county officials are trying to ensure that the county’s significant decline in new COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks results in an easing of restrictions on local businesses and other activities. Read more

The director of Baker County’s Health Department is optimistic that the county will be ready to start COVID-19 vaccinations for county residents 80 and older the second week of February. Read more

Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday ordered 32,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines redirected to the Portland area instead of going to other parts of the state. Read more

Baker County’s current slowdown in new COVID-19 cases started too late to spare the county from two more weeks subject to the state’s tightest restrictions on businesses and other activities. Read more

Baker County might have met one of the two requirements to move down from extreme to high on the state’s COVID-19 risk level starting Friday, Jan. 29. Read more

Baker County’s rate of new COVID-19 cases over the six-day period ending Thursday, Jan. 21, was the slowest in almost three months. Read more

As students waited for doors to Baker Middle School to open Wednesday morning to admit them to their one day a week of in-person instruction, a small sampling of them said they were eager for next week, when their classroom time will be doubled. Read more

Mark Witty, Baker School District superintendent, announced Tuesday that students at Baker Middle School and Baker High School will start attending in-person classes two days per week on Jan. 25. Read more

Ten months after its bid to repeat as state champions was stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baker High School girls varsity basketball team was able to practice again. Read more

Baker County’s plan to start offering COVID-19 vaccinations to older residents later this week has hit a snag. Read more

Dave McGuire figures Oregonians should be able to decide for themselves whether to sit down in a restaurant and have a meal. Read more

Kerry McQuisten is Baker City’s new mayor. Read more

Walking into the Baker High School gymnasium on the fourth day of 2021, Buell Gonzales Jr. heard something he hadn’t heard in months. Read more

Baker County’s respite from Oregon’s most extreme COVID-19 restrictions will last just two weeks. Read more

The number of Baker County residents who have received their first of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine has nearly doubled over the past week. Read more

Baker County will return to the extreme-risk level for COVID-19 spread, and the resulting stringent restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, starting Friday, Jan. 15. Read more

Mark Bennett references a roller coaster, while Tyler Brown’s favored metaphor is the yo-yo, but both are concerned about fluctuating restrictions in Baker County due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting effects on local businesses. Read more

The Baker School District is gearing up to extend in-person instruction for all middle school and high school students to two days per week next semester. Read more

Volunteers draped in medical garments were prepped and ready to go at noon Wednesday outside Baker High School as residents lined up in their vehicles to get a free COVID-19 test. Read more

Ashley McClay says she’s learned a lot about the COVID-19 vaccines being administered to frontline workers in Baker County, and she’s confident that receiving the shot was the best choice for her. Read more

Baker County ranks near the middle of Oregon’s 36 counties in its rate of administering COVID-19 vaccines. Read more

After working for several months treating people who are recovering from bouts with COVID-19, Lori Brock now uses a telephone to fight the virus. Read more

Baker County will drop from the extreme to the high risk category for COVID-19 spread starting Friday, Jan. 1, which means restaurants can have limited indoor dining, and fitness centers, theaters and museums can open, also with occupancy limits, for the first time in almost a month. Read more

After reviewing records showing how severely the pandemic has affected dozens of Baker County businesses, Bruce Nichols understands that nearly $700,000 in federal aid is no panacea. Read more

The Powder River Correctional Facility in Baker City has had 18 inmates test positive for COVID-19. Read more

Dave McGuire doesn’t want a government handout. Read more

Friday, Dec. 18 was a landmark day in the COVID-19 pandemic at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City. Read more

Mandy Peterson’s temporary new job can be emotionally taxing at times, but it’s also rewarding. Read more